Experts: Sex ed needs to change

Sunday

Mar 16, 2008 at 5:57 PMMar 16, 2008 at 5:59 PM

By BEATRIZ E. VALENZUELA Staff Writer

VICTORVILLE — The Center for Disease Control released a new study that found that one in four teen girls in the United States have a sexually transmitted disease and some experts attribute these numbers to a combination of lack of maturity and the results of abstinence-only education.

"Planned parenthood doesn't exist in the High Desert," said Darryl Evey, executive director of the High Desert Domestic Violence Program, adding that parents need to find a way to give teens all of the information they need.

"What we teach is sexual integrity," said Judy Morris, founder of Moses House Ministries. "These are human beings and should not be reduced to animalistic instincts. They can be taught and they should be taught."

San Bernardino County has the third highest chlamydia rate among teens and young women ages 15 to 24 in the state, with 8,053 cases, according to the San Bernardino County Public Health Department.

Also contributing to the numbers is that many teens define sex only as intercourse and are seemingly unaware that other intimate behavior can also transmit diseases.

Of the 838 girls involved in the study, only half admitted to having sex. Among those who admitted to having sex, the rate was even higher — 40 percent.

"Especially here in the High Desert, with the exception of the basic sex ed students are given in schools, there really isn't any sex education," said Evey. "That is why you get these kids who think oral sex isn't really sex."

It is this lack of education that can lead some teens to rely on myths for protection such as utilizing the withdrawal method or even douching with Coca-Cola to kill STD germs, said Dr. Ellen Kruger, an obstetrician-gynecologist.

Abstinence-only groups have been accused of encouraging girls and parents to put their heads in the sand, said Morris, but what they encourage is for teens to have a higher sense of self-worth and it works.

Which ever side a parent takes on the issue, psychologist Anthony Brailow sees open communication to be a key component.

"You can't tell a child don't do it because I said so or because it's bad," Brailow said, "There needs to be a discussion between the parents and the child as to why this is not acceptable behavior."

A holistic approach is important when dealing with teens and STDs, said Susan Wysocki, president of the National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women's Health.

"It only takes having sex with one person once to get the human papillomavirus," said Wysocki. "It isn't about giving the teens approval or teaching only abstinence — prevention is about a lot of different things."